On April 26, 1986, a nuclear reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in northern Ukraine exploded during a late-night safety test.
A massive plume of radiation was launched into the sky and spread across Europe, making it one of history’s worst nuclear disasters.
The purpose of the test was to simulate a power outage to see if the reactor would work without electricity, but a combination of poor design, user errors, and miscommunication led to the disaster.
In the years that followed, the Chernobyl region was abandoned due to far-reaching environmental damage, health issues for people and animals exposed to radiation, and fears of contamination.
During the first few days in the aftermath of the explosion, radiation levels were so high that plants located near the reactor turned brown, withered away, and died.
Many wild creatures experienced genetic mutations, reproductive problems, and a significant decrease in populations.
Almost four decades later, the areas surrounding the Chernobyl region remain uninhabited by humans. But over time, animals of all kinds were allowed to thrive in the absence of humans.
Among them are countless dogs, many of whom are the descendants of pets left behind. After the nuclear explosion, residents were forced to evacuate as quickly as possible and were unable to bring their dogs with them.
The dogs roam the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and live around abandoned villages. They adapted to the harsh, radioactive environment and survived extreme winters with little food. They typically depend on scraps from workers and visitors at the site.
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Now, biologists are taking a closer look at the Chernobyl dogs to see how decades of radiation exposure have altered their genomes or even their evolution.
A team of researchers from the University of South Carolina and the National Human Genome Research Institute examined the DNA of 302 feral dogs to learn more about them.
“Do they have mutations that they’ve acquired that allow them to live and breed successfully in this region?” stated Elaine Ostrander, a co-author of the study and a dog genomics expert at the National Human Genome Research Institute.
“What challenges do they face, and how have they coped genetically?”
The team found that the feral dogs living near the Chernobyl Power Plant exhibited genetic differences from dogs living just 10 miles away in Chernobyl City.
Although this might strongly suggest that the dogs experienced a rapid mutation or evolution due to radiation exposure, the study is just the first step in investigating this theory.
“At this stage, we cannot say for sure that any genetic alterations are in response to the multigenerational and complex exposures; we have a lot more work to do to determine if that is the case,” said researcher Dr. Matthew Breen.
There are other factors that could be contributing to the genetic differences between the two dog populations, such as inbreeding.
However, this study provides a stepping stone for further research into the effects of radiation on larger animals. It could also help inform how we protect wildlife in the face of similar environmental disasters.
The study was published in Canine Medicine and Genetics.
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